America doesn’t have enough truck drivers—a crisis that is slowing down supply chains and leaving many store shelves bare. Estimates put the shortage at approximately 80,000 truck drivers as of last year, and this number could reach 160,000 by 2030, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). The solution? A not so simple addition of one million new truck drivers over the next decade.
Hiring drivers has always been challenging, especially if you have empty trucks that need to be running right now. Here are a few creative ways to help you recruit more truck drivers.
1. Consider New Drivers
If you haven’t considered building a new driver program, then this is the time. Schools are bursting at the seams and opening new locations as fast as they can. Attracted by increased wages and plenty of open positions, workers from many other industries are either transitioning to truck driving, or seriously considering it. These new and would be truck drivers are an essential resource for transport companies in areas hardest hit by the driver shortage. A few ways to get started:
- Partner with the trucking schools nearest your facilities. Consider sponsoring the schools by providing equipment and/or supplies
- Consider starting your own trucking school, the process is not simple, but it provides an almost guaranteed supply of new drivers.
- Make certain you have a sufficient training program in place to ensure newly licensed drivers get enough supervised experience before they are forced to go it alone on the highway (a finishing program of approximately 7-10 weeks post trucking school training)
2. Focus on Values and Benefits in Job Postings
Erratic schedules, irregular pay, and inconsistent home time are a few factors that make it hard to attract new hires. That’s why identifying and advertising the unique values and benefits of working for your company is essential for talent attraction. Feature these positive elements in social media, blog posts, and other creative content. A few good tips to consider:
- Overall messages that give active and passive job seekers insight into what makes being a truck driver at your company better than the competition. Unique benefits, superior equipment, specialty freight, exceptional driver facilities,appealing origins, destinations, and routes, or any other positive elements that can position your employer brand above your competitors.
- Perhaps you value accountability and honesty or have an effective diversity and inclusion program. Incorporating company values into job postings can lead to more effective recruitment outcomes.
- Mediocre driver compensation can be overcome by providing for and/or showcasing other company benefits. These benefits might include free or deeply discounted health and dental insurance, employer contributed retirement accounts, event tickets, performance incentives, and robust vacation / pto pay.
3. Use Social Media
Nearly 80 percent of job seekers now use social media as part of their job search, and for good reason. Social media gives drivers an opportunity to connect with or observe prospective employers and their employees. They can ask questions about roles, assess driver recognition, evaluate company culture, and even apply or schedule an interview. Some things to consider:
- Encourage your employees and followers to like and share job vacancies on their social accounts, helping you reach more potential recruits.
- Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn have the largest audiences of truck drivers. Each platform brings a unique value, but also certain limitations. Some have a straightforward approach with paid advertising while others can be very effective with organic reach. Mastering each effectively takes an investment of time and some trial and error.
- Efforts that include company posts, boosted posts, employee generated posts, and paid advertisements will yield the greatest results. This can often require a full time employee at larger organizations.
- Video- Static images and GIF’s are less expensive to produce and are still a staple for recruitment advertising, nevertheless, video content reigns supreme in social media. Consider creating short videos on YouTube that feature your drivers and the work that they do. Capture employee celebrations, and moments that spotlight your company culture. Encourage employee generated video content by educating in the best/safe practices for content creation. Although video content requires more resources than conventional media, it attracts a larger audience, and helps establish your employer brand, especially when shared, boosted, and/or sponsored.
4. Use Mobile
Mobile recruitment strategies can help target professional drivers on their smartphones, especially younger ones. Research shows that 94.4 percent of millennials in the United States will have smartphones in 2022.
There are various mobile recruitment techniques you can use to attract drivers:
- Optimize your website for mobile. Your website should automatically adapt to fit the size of a smartphone screen and include a responsive design that makes it easier for candidates to view job postings.
- Consider a driving career site that is designed mobile first.
- Post vacancies on mobile-optimized job boards. Potential drivers might not read a job posting if a website incorrectly displays information on their mobile devices.
5. Use a Talent Insights Leader
While effectively attracting new drivers to your organization is the first step in a sound recruitment strategy, hiring, onboarding, and talent retention are just as critical for achieving your organizational goals and building a strong and productive workforce.
Bayard’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) service helps you at every stage of the hiring funnel, and can provide much needed support and resources for adding new truck drivers to your team. Bayard’s recruitment strategists leverage effective tactics, strategies, and technologies that optimize talent management and reduce the workload for your in-house recruitment personnel, resulting in better hiring outcomes for your company.
Learn more about Bayard’s RPO here.
Final Word
The current truck driver shortage is making it more difficult to attract qualified drivers to open positions. However, taking a creative recruiting approach that includes a focus on new drivers, promoting unique company values and benefits, investing in social media, and focusing on mobile recruitment strategies can help fill your recruitment funnel. Working with a talent insights leader with almost 100 years of recruitment experience can make all the difference.
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